Parking structures



June 4, 1963 M. SHUTT 3,092,267

PARKING STRUCTURES Filed Jan. 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 i/ a w June 4, 1963 I M. SHUTT 3,092,267

PARKING STRUCTURES Filed Jan. 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 '2 lil \l -I- n g 3| INVENTOR Milo Sh u H June 4, 1963 M. SHUTT 3,

PARKING STRUCTURES I Filed Jan. 10, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Milo Shufl United States Patent Ofi ice 3,092,267. Patented June 4, 1963 Filed Jan. 10, 1e58, Ser. No. 733,219 6 Claims. c1. 21416.1)

This invention relates to parking structures and particularly to a parking structure adapted for parking automobiles on above street levels while using the street level areas for shops, showrooms and the like.

It has long been recognized that the portions of a parking structure facing the street are more valuable as shops, showrooms, banking areas and the like than as parking spaces. With conventional mechanical parking structures, however, it has been impossible to take full advantage of this fact without the use of expensive telescoping elevators, and complex controls on the elevator and tower. As a result, mechanical parking garages have to a large extent been limited in the use to which the lower floors could be adapted.

The present invention provides a parking structure which overcomes these difliculties. Preferably, I provide spaced tiers of automobile receiving stalls opening on a common elongated well, vertical guide means at each end of the well extending from top to bottom thereof, a horizontal bridge extending lengthwise of the well between said guide means and vertically slidable thereon, hoist means for raising said bridge on the guide means, a vehicle receiving cage depending from said bridge and movable horizontally therealong and drive means for selectively moving the cage along the bridge. Preferably, the well is restricted in its lowermost extremity to a portion shorter than its normal length forming a vehicle receiving area, whereby a portion of the structure is available for shopping areas and the like. Stop means are provided on the guide means to stop the vertical travel of the bridge at a distance from the bottom of the well, substantially, equal to the depending length of the cage except when the cage is in alignment with the receiving area from the restricted position of the well. Preferably, the stop means includes interlocking means acting cooperatively between the bridge drive and the cage drive, whereby the vertical movement of the bridge and the horizontal movement of the cage are restricted as the bridge approaches the receiving area.

In the foregoing general description of my invention, I have set out certain advantages, purposes and objects of the present invention. Other advantages, purposes and objects will be apparent from the consideration of the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of an illustrative parking structure incorporating the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through the structure of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line III-III of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the structure of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings I have illustrated a parking structure having spaced apart tiers and 11 separated by a vertical well 12. Each of the tiers 10 and 11 is provided with parking stalls 13 each adapted to receive an automotive vehicle. The lowermost level of each of the tiers and the well is provided with a shopping and arcade area 14 along one side. This leaves a shortened area at the lower level of the well alongside the arcade area forming a reception area 16 into which vehicles to be parked are driven. Each end of the well is provided with a vertical column 17 having a vertical rail 18 on one side facing the well. Each of the columns 17 is spaced from the outer wall of the parking structure, a distance suificient to form a shaft 19 adapted to carry counterweights 20. A platform 21 is built across the center of the well 12 on supporting girders 22. Mounted on the platform 21 is a drum 23 driven by motor 24. A vertically movable bridge 25 extends between the columns 17 at the ends of the well. The bridge 25 is made up of supporting girders 26 and 27 connected by end members 28. At each end of the girders, mounted on each of the end members 28 are spaced guides 29 engageable on the rails 18 and slidable thereon. Sheaves 30 are mounted for rotation on the bridge 25. At each end member a lifting cable 31 passes around the sheaves 30 at each end of the bridge end over sheaves 32 mounted at the top of each end of the well 12 on supporting girders 33. Each end of the lifting cables 31 passes around the drum drive 23 and over a sheave 34 mounted on the girder 35 at the end of the well adjacent the girder 33. Each end of the cable is fixed to counterweights 2t movable in the shafts 19. A cage 36 is mounted dependingly from wheels 37 which are adapted to run on rails 38 on the bridge 25. One set of wheels 37 is driven by a motor 39 through a conventional drive 40. Cables 41 and 42 are anchored to the cage 36. Cable 41 passes over a sheave 43, at one end of the bridge 25, while cable 42 passes over a sheave 44 at the opposite end of the bridge 25. The ends of cables 41 and 42 after passing over sheaves 43 and 44 are connected to a balancing counterweight 45 mounted on wheels 46 adapted to run on rails 47 on top of the bridge 25. The cables 41 and 42 are so adjusted that when the cage 36 is at one end of the bridge 25, the counterweight 45 is at the opposite end of bridge 25 so that the weight on the bridge is balanced. The weight of the balancing counterweight is so selected as to be substantially equal to the weight of the cage 36 and the weight of an average vehicle which might be carried thereby. The cage 36 is provided with spaced apart kick-up rollers 48 adapted to run beneath rails 49 spaced above rails 38. These rollers 48 prevent the cage 36 from tipping in the event of an unbalanced load in the cage 36. Cooperating limit switches 50 on the vertical columns 17 and 51 on the bridge 25 act on the controller circuit of the motor 24 in conventional manner so as to prevent the bridge 25 from being lowered to the bottom of the well except when the cage 36 is in alignment with the reception area 16.

The parking structure of the present invention operates as follows: When it is desired to pick up a vehicle in the reception area 16, the cage 36 is moved on the bridge 25 by enengizing motor 39 which drives the wheels 37 through the drive 40 to bring the cage in alignment with reception area 16. This releases the interlocking limit switches 50 and 51. Motor 24 is then energized to pay out cables 31 from drum 23 thereby raising the counterweights 2G and lowering the bridge 25 on the rails 18 until the cage 36 reaches the level of the reception area 16. When a Vehicle is taken into the cage 36 the motor 24 is energized in the opposite direction, drum 23 takes up cable 31 lifting the bridge 25 out of the reception area 16 into the fuel section of the well 12. The rotation of the drum 23 is continued until the cage reaches the desired parking level. Motor 39 is then energized, to carry the cage 36 along bridge 25 to the desired parking stall. As the cage moves on the bridge 25, counterweight 45 moves in the opposite direction thereby balancing the weight of the cage 36 and the vehicle contained therein. When the vehicle is discharged from cage 36 the cage is returned to the reception area 16 in the manner above described.

A vehicle is removed from its parking stall by reversing the steps above set out.

Hydraulic bumpers 52 are mounted on the members 28 of the bridge 25 to abut a stop member 53 at the bottom of the rail 18 so as to limit the lowering of the bridge 25. Limit switches, not shown, are provided at the stop members 35 to shut off motor 24 when the bridge 25 reaches its lowermost position.

While I have illustrated and described a present preferred form of my invention it may be clearly understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A parking garage having spaced tiers of automobile receiving stalls opening on a common elongated vertical well, vertical guide means at each end of the well extending from top to bottom thereof, a horizontal bridge extending lengthwise of the Well between said guide means and vertically slidable thereon, hoist means for raising said bridge on the guide means, a vehicle receiving cage depending from said bridge and horizontally movable therealong and drive means for selectively moving the cage along the bridge.

2. A parking garage having spaced tiers of automobile receiving stalls opening on a common elongated vertical well, a vertical guide rail at each end of the well extending from top to bottom thereof, a horizontal bridge extending lengthwise of the well between said guide rails, spaced guide members on each end'of the bridge engaging therails and vertically slidable thereon, hoist means for raising said bridge on the guide means, a vehicle receiving cage depending from said bridge and horizontally movable therealong and drive means for selectively moving the cage along the bridge.

3. A parking garage having spaced tiers of automobile receiving stalls opening on a common elongated vertical well, vertical guide means at each end of the well extending from top to bottom thereof, a horizontal bridge extending'lengthwise of the well between said guide means and vertically slidable thereon, a drum above the, well, sheaves on each end of the bridge and at each end of the top of the Well, a cable passing through said sheaves and in driving engagement with said drum whereby rotation of the drum causes the cable length passing through the sheaves to be simultaneously changed from both ends, a vehicle receiving cage depending from said bridge and horizontally movable therealong and drive means for selectively moving the cage along the bridge. 4. A parking garage having spaced tiers of automobile receiving stalls opening on a common elongated vertical well, vertical guide means at each end of the well extending from top to bottom thereof, a horizontal bridge extending lengthwise of the well between said guide means and vertically slidable thereon, hoist means for raising said bridge on the guide means, a vehicle receiving cage depending from said bridge and horizontally movable therealong, counterweight means movable on the bridge, connections from said counterweight to the cage whereby the counterweight and cage move simultaneously and equally in opposite directions and drive means for selectively moving the cage and counterweight along the bridge.

5. A parking garage as claimed in claim 4 wherein the cage moves on rails on the bridge and the counterweight moves on spaced parallel rails and said counterweight and cage are connected by cables of equal length at each end, said cables being reeved over sheaves at the end of the bridge.

6. A parking garage having spaced tiers of automobile receiving stalls opening on a common elongated vertical well, vertical guide means at each end of the well extending from top to bottom thereof, a horizontal bridge extending lengthwise of the well between said guide means and vertically slidable thereon, a drum above the well, sheaves on each end of the bridge and at each endof the, top of the well, a cable passing through said sheaves, the ends of said cable passing in driving engagement overthe drum, vertically movable counterweights on the ends of said cable acting to counterbalance the load thereon, drive means acting to drive the drum for rota- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 369,423 Bagaley Sept. 6, 1887 479,523 Newberry July 26, 1892 660,622 Derus Oct. 30, 1900 7 1,938,658 Harnischfeger Dec. 12, 1933 2,701,065 Bertel Feb. 1, 1955 2,714,456 Manaugh Aug. 2, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 416,781 Great Britain Sept. 18, 1934 

1. A PARKING GARAGE HAVING SPACED TIERS OF AUTOMOBILE RECEIVING STALLS OPENING ON A COMMON ELONGATED VERTICAL WELL, VERTICAL GUIDE MEANS AT EACH END OF THE WELL EXTENDING FROM TOP TO BOTTOM THEREOF, A HORIZONTAL BRIDGE EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF THE WELL BETWEEN SAID GUIDE MEANS AND VERTICALLY SLIDABLE THEREON, HOIST MEANS FOR RAISING SAID BRIDGE ON THE GUIDE MEANS, A VEHICLE RECEIVING CAGE DEPENDING FROM SAID BRIDGE AND HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE THERE- 